Mail-bag receiving and delivering apparatus.



EATENTED SEPT. 25, 1906.

D. M. DALEY. MAIL BAG RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 0073,23. 1905.

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4 y M Q No. 831,646. 7 A PATENTED SEPT. 25, 1906.

' D. M. DALBY.

MAIL BAG REGEIVINGAND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED OCT. 23. 1905.

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W A Jam PATENTED SEPT. 25, 1906.

D. M. DALEY. MAIL BAG RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLIGATION I'ILED OCT. 23. 1905.

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' MAIL-BAG. RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 25, 1906.

Implication filed October 23, 1905. Serial No. 284;.002.

To aZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, DANIEL M. DALEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at West Seneca, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Receiving and Delivering Apparatus, of' which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object to provide improved mail catching and delivering mech-' anism'for taking up mail-be gs supported on a bag-receiver and for delivering mail-bags into said receiver. v

Other objects are to provide a single supporting-arm for the ba receiving and delivering arm so arrange that the mail-ba s may be taken and delivered from either si e of the car, to provide anjimproved bag-receiver, and to otherwise improve on mail catching and delivering devices now in use.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, to be hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a car'equipped with my invention and a sectional elevation ofmy improved bag-receiver connected therewith, the mail-bag arm being positioned for delivering a' bag into the bag-receiver and for taking up a bag supported on said receiver. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of a car equipped I up.

with my invention and showing the mail-bag arm elevated and drawn into the car.

listening now to the drawings in detail,

like numerals of reference refer to like parts in the several figures. j

The reference-numeral 1 designatesja car having the usual door-openings 2, said car bein equipped with my improved mail-bag catc g and delivering mechanis1n13 an with in im r oved bag-receiver l. The-. ag eliveringand catching mechanism'comprises a cylindrical guide or'sleeve 5,

' zontal position.

Fi 3. is a horizontal section taken on line '0 v, ig;

having flanges 6, by means of which it is secured to the floor ofthe car, a slidable and rotatable support or bar 7, guided in said sleeve, and the mail-bag delivering and catching arm 8, removably affixed to either end of said 'bar. I The guide-sleeve 5 is arranged transversely of the car between opposite door-openings, it being provided on its upper side with a'longitudinal slot 9, terminating at its ends in lateral but'opposite lock-slots 10. Mid-length the sleeve is slotted transversel as at 11, which slot is also designed for loci ing the slidable bar 7 in its normal position,

this being accomplished by 0 crating-lever 12, having a reduced threade end fitting a threaded openin in the support 7. The latter being rotata le as well as slidable in the guide or sleeve 5, it is actuated by the operating-lever, so that the mail-bag arm 8 may be moved from its normal position or position at rest (shown in Fig. 2) to its actin position. (Shown in Fig. 1.) In its norma position the mail-bag arm is drawn into the car and'swung into a substantially vertical position, and when moved outward into its acting position it is swung into a substantially horien projected through the door-opening of the car, the mail-bag arm is maintained in its the operatin lever 12, w the floor of thus checks the tendency of the" mail-bag roper position by 'c bears against r e car, as shown 1n Fig. 1, and

arm gravitating to a vertical depending position by reason of its weight being to one side of the rotatable support 7.

The mail-bag 'arm comprises a downwardly and forwardly directed arm 13 having its outrr end curved outward and thence inward, as shown in Fig. 3, and provided at its inner end with a socket 14, which fits onto the projecting end of the support 7 and is secured thereto by a set-screw 15, said arm being therefore removable to permit its being afiixed to the op osite end of the support.

Depending from t e, arm 13 is a bag-support 16, consisting of a short downward y-dire'ct ed member 17 and a -rearwardly-directed member 18, on'wli'ich the mail-bag 19 is carried. -At the'angle of both members of said sup ort .a hook 2.0 is provided, and adjacent 'sai "angle the member 17 isibeveled, as at 21,

to form a sharsedgefil In fastening the mail-,bag-to sai support the loops 28 0f the bag are passed over the member 1'8, and a piece of twine or other suitable fastenin 24 is passed through the front loop of the ag 1 the upper side of'the catch arm 25-, having its outer or free end and 3, the catch-arm curved end extending curved downward and its u vided with lock-notches 26, a gagedby the free end of a d'etent-lever 27, which serves to prevent the upward movement of 'thecatch-arm 25, both the latter and the detent-lever 27 having stops 28 and 29, respectively, which limit the extent to per face proapted to be enwhich they may swing outward. A prop or lever 30 is pi'votally connected to the under side of the catch-arm 25, and its free end is designed to engage a notch 31 in the arm 13, and thus hold to receive a mail-bag. As shown in Figsjil has its downwardlycurved end of the arm 13, and when a mailbag is caught between the two the bag is held against accidental disengagement, since the catch-arm closes down on the bag and the downwardly-curved end of the same extends beneath the front end of arm 13.. As the mail-bag enters between arms 13 and 25 it comes incontact with the prop or lever 30 and causes the sameto be swung rearward out of engagement with the notch on the arm 13, thereby permitting the catch-arm to close on the bag. During this action the free end of the detent-lever 27 is brought into engagement with a difierent notch'on the catch-lever, preventing thereby the. raising of the catch-lever and causing-the bag to be held socurely to the catching device.

As shown in Fig. 3, the extent of movement of the operating-lever is from lock-slot 10 at one end of the sleeve or guide 5 to the center transverse slot. When the car is drawn in a reverse direction-or when the bag is to be delivered or taken up on the oppo site side of the car, the catching device is affixed to the opposite end of the support or bar 7, andwhen so used the bar must be slid in its guide to project the opposite end. The operating-lever then has its range of movementfrom the center transverse slot to the lock slot at the opposite end of the guide.

Located adjacent the track over which the car passes is a bag-receiver 32 in the form of a rectangularbox-like structure, having a longitudinal slot or'opening .33 in its upper wall, through which the bag-support 16 passes. This receiver is open at its receivingend, and the Wall at the opposite end is notched at 34 to provide the proper depth of opening for severed by the knife-ed the catch-arm 25 in a position beyond the inwardly the bag-support to pass through. Two oppositely-inclined arms 35 may be sceured'to members is slightlyless than the bag. The

latteriis checked in its course, while the bags'uppo'rt is carried through the receiver, and the twine loop or fastening 24 is strained and e on the bag-support. The bag is therefore eposited and the de livering mechanism permitted to pass through the receiver. It is apparent that by reason of the check members being placed at a slight angle to .each other bags of diiferent capacity or containing different quantities of mail may be deposited with e ual facility. For convenience in removing t e mail-bags when delivered a door 37 maybe provided at the top of the receiver. 3 i

of the receiver and com rises two arms 39, pivoted between their en s on a common center 40.- vSprings 41 have one of their ends attached to the lower ends of said arms and theiropposite ends secured to the receiver to A bag-holder 38 is aflixed to the closed end maintain said arms in the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 9. Pins 42 project from the .upper ends of arms 39, onto which the loops of a mail-bag 43 to be delivered are hooked. By reason of the springs 40 acting to draw the upper ends of sald arms outward and downward the bag is drawn taut between said arms and when'engaged by the mail-catching arm on the car is clamped between arms 13 and 25 and released from the holder.

This invention may-be modified in form and construction without departing from the principle involved or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what' I claim 1s- 1. In a inail-bag-catching apparatus, the

combination with a car having door-openings in its sidewalls, of a support arranged transversely and movable to be projected through either of said dooropenings, and a 'mail-bag arm removably secured to sald support so that it may be attached to either end thereof.

' 2. In a mail-bag-catching apparatus, the combination with a car having a dooro ening, a guide secured transversely to the cor of the car, a support slidable in said guide, an

' opening.

l. In a mail-bag-catching apparatus, the

combination with a car having a door-opening, of a cylindrical guide secured within the car and having a longitudinal slot and two transverse slots at different points in the length thereof, a support slidable and rotatable in said guide, an operating-lever secured to said support and projecting through said longitudinal slot, said lever being adapted to enter the transverse slots to hold the support against lengthwise movement in said guide, and a mail-bag arm secured to the end of said support and adapted to be moved out through the door-opening.

5. In.a mail-bag-catching apparatus, the combination With a car having opposite d 001'- openings in its side Walls, a cylindrical guide arranged transversely in the car and having a longitudinal slot provided at its ends with opposite transverse slots and with a transverse slot between its ends, a slidable and rotatable support in said guide adapted to be projected through either door-opening, an operatingdever secured .to said. support and extending through said slot, said lever being adapted to be moved into any one of said transverse slots to prevent longitudinal movement of said support, and a mail-bag arm secured to either end of said support, as may be desired.

6. In a mail-bag-delivering apparatus, a forwardly-extending arm suitably supported and having a bag-support thereon comprising a short depending member and a rear- Wardly-extending member adapted to carry a bag, said bag-support having a hook at the angle of said members, for the purpose described.

7. In a mailbag-delivering apparatus, a

forwardly-extending arm suitably supported and having a hag-support thereon comprising a short depending member provided with a beveled front edge and a rearwardly-exsending member adapted to carry a bag, said bag being tied to said support with the means of fastening passed around the beveled edge of said depending member.

8. In a mail-bag-delivering apparatus, a forwardly-extending arm suitably supported and having a bag-support thereon comprising a short depending member provided With a beveled front edge, a rearwardly-extending member adapted to carry a bag, and a hook at the angle of said members, said bag being tied to said support with the means of fastening passed around the beveled edge of said depending member.

9. In a mail-bag-catching apparatus, the combination of a forwardly-extending arm. suitably supported on the car, a catch-arm pivoted to the upper side of said forwardlyextending arm, a prop pivoted to the under side of said catch-arm and adapted to engage the first-mentioned arm, and a detent-lever having its'free end in engagement with the catch-arm to lock the same.

10. In a mail-bag catching apparatus, the

combination of a forwardly-extending armsuitably supported on the car, a catch-arm pivoted to the upper side of said forwardlyextending arm and having a stop in rear of its pivotal point, a prop pivoted to the under side of said catch-arm and adapted to engage the first-mentioned arm, and a pivoted detent-lever having its free end in engagement with the catch-arm to lock the same and having also a stop in rear of its pivotal point.

11. In a mailbag-catching apparatus, the combination of a forwardly-extending arm suitably supported on the car and having its forward end curved inwardly, and a catcharm pivoted to said forwardly-extending arm and having its forward end curved in a vertical plane and terminating in advance of the first-mentioned arm.

12. In a mail-ba -catching apparatus, the combination of a Iorwardly-extending arm suitably supported and provided with a notch in its upper side, a catch-arm pivotally secured to the upper side of said forwardlyextending arm, and a prop pivotally secured to the under side of the catch-arm and adapted to engage the notch in the first-mentioned arm.

13. Ina mail-bag-catching apparatus, the combination of a forwardly-extending arm suitably supported, a catch-arm pivotally secured to the upper side of said forWardly-..

extending arm, and a prop to hold said catcharm elevated.

14. In a mail-bag-catching apparatus, the

combination of a forwardly-extending arm suitably supported, a catch-arm pivotally secured to the upper side of said forwardlyextending arm and having-a series of notches in its upper side, a prop to hold said catcharm elevated, and a pivoted detent-lever secure'd to said first-mentioned arm and adapted to engage one of said series of notches in p the catch-arm.

' 15. In a mail-bag catching and delivering apparatus, the combination of a forwardlyextending arm suitably supported on a car, a bag-support depending from said arm, a catch-lever pivotally connected to said arm,

and means to lock said catch-arm after re ceiving a mail-bag.

16. In a mail-bag catching and delivering apparatus, the combination of a forwardlyextending arm suitably supported on a car, a bag-support depending from said arm and comprising a short depending member'and'a ing arm suitably supported on a car, of a bagholder comprising two crossed arms pivoted at their points of crossing and adapted to support a bag between their upper ends, and

spring servingto swing the arms downward When said bag-catching arm'releases the bag from said bag-holder.

18. In a mail-bag-delivering' apparatus, the combination with a bag-delivering arm suitably supported on a car, of a bag-receiver comprising a box-like structure having a slot in its upper wall through which the bag-delivering arm is adapted topass, and means W1th1n said receiver to cause the bag to be removed from said delivering-arm.

19. In a mail-bag-delivermg apparatus, the combination with a bag-delivering arm suitably supported on a car, of a bag-receiver having an opening in its receiving endand a slot in its upper wall extending from end to end thereof, and check members secured to said upper wall and arranged on opposite sides of said slot, said check members diverging from the receiving end of the receiver to the opposite end thereof to gradually diminish the space between them.

20. In a mail-bag delivering and catching apparatus, the combination of a mail-bag catching and delivering arm suitably supported on a car, a bag-receiver having its upper wall slotted to permit said arm to pass through,'means within the receiver to cause the mail-bag being delivered to bereleased from said arm, and a bag-holder supported on said receiver in the path of said arm.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL M. DALEY. Witnesses:

EMIL NEUHART, MAY F. SEWERT. 

